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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Is hydrogen safe?
Yes, hydrogen is as safe as any other combustible fuel such as propane or gasoline. It must be handled and stored appropriately just as other fuels. During combustion, hydrogen combines with oxygen to yield only heat and water. There are no harmful polluting fumes from the process.
- Can cars run on hydrogen?
Yes, present day internal combustion engines can be modified to burn hydrogen, making them minus emission vehicles. Electric vehicles that use fuel cells and hydrogen to generate electricity are in the works from many auto manufacturers. Fuel cells cars are expected to be mainstream transportation by 2013 to 2018.
- How is hydrogen stored?
Hydrogen is the lightest element in the universe and is also the smallest. It tries to escape into the upper atmosphere when it is not “captive.” The most common and most practical form of hydrogen is at room temperature as a gas. To be used as a gas, we must pressurize it in a tank or container.
- What is the “Hydrogen Economy”?
Present day fuel energy standards are based on oil and other fossil fuels. These fuels have powered the world economies since the industrial revolution but at the cost of depleted world resources and polluted air and water sources. The hydrogen economy offers a limitless source of energy that can be produced without damage to the earth’s resources.
- What will it take to achieve a switchover to a hydrogen based economy?
To fully achieve a switchover to a hydrogen based economy, a massive effort will be required to create the distribution system for hydrogen; something on the order of the national effort to put a man on the moon or to build the interstate highway system. A coordinated private and public sector program needs to be undertaken at the federal level, probably under the Department of Energy’s guidance, to utilize the full power of the federal government to help create and support standards for fueling equipment and hydrogen creation.
- How does a fuel cell work?
A fuel cell is a device that allows hydrogen and oxygen to combine chemically rather than through combustion. The net result of the reaction is the generation of electricity that can be used directly, similar to the way we use batteries.
- Where does hydrogen come from?
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. It typically exists in chemical compounds bonded with other elements. On earth, hydrogen is mostly found in water and can be separated out through the use of electricity and/or high temperature. Hydrogen can also be stripped from fossil fuels such as gasoline and coal, but these procedures obviously have the substantial disadvantage of not being renewable or clean.
- What is electrolysis?
The process of passing electricity through water and separating it into its components of hydrogen and oxygen using a device called an electrolyzer.
- Can you electrolyze salt water?
Yes, you can also electrolyze “gray” water which, in the home, comes from showers, dishwashers, and washing machines. The end result is that once the water is electrolyzed and utilized, it returns to us as pure water, making the process yield both energy and clean water.
- Can water burn?
No. Hydrogen when combined with oxygen as water (H2O) is not combustible.
- Is hydrogen poisonous?
No. It is inert as it relates to the danger of being inhaled. It has no life sustaining capabilities, but if breathed in with ambient air it is of no consequence.
- Can you smell hydrogen?
No, hydrogen has no scent.
- Are there different types of hydrogen?
Yes, there is “normal” hydrogen, which only has one proton and one electron, and then there is isotopic hydrogen, known as Deuterium and Tritium. Isotopic hydrogen is used in nuclear applications, contains one or two neutrons, and is extracted from what’s known as heavy water. The sun is a huge thermonuclear reaction fueled by isotopic hydrogen. The fuel used in clean sustainable energy systems is “normal” hydrogen found in ordinary water.
- What happens when hydrogen burns?
Hydrogen combines chemically with oxygen and the act of this combining releases energy absorbed from the original process of electrolysis. Thus it has been said that hydrogen is a medium of storage of energy, rather than a fuel. This seems to be a semantic issue as much as science.
- What does a hydrogen flame look like when it burns?
The hydrogen flame is barely visible to the naked eye. In present day, when hydrogen is being used as a fuel, a colorizer is mixed in to make the flame orange. It should also be noted that the heat from a hydrogen flame rises upward rather than radiating outward in all directions.
- How fast does hydrogen burn?
Hydrogen combines with oxygen many times faster than gasoline, so the flame front travels much faster than that of gasoline. For an internal combustion engine (ICE) running on hydrogen, certain timing and fuel modifications are required.
- Are there health benefits to using hydrogen as a fuel?
Hydrogen burns essentially clean. The cleaner the air, the fewer the breathing related problems such as emphysema, lung cancer, or hay fever.
- How much does hydrogen cost?
The most effective and sustainable way to produce hydrogen is by electrolyzing water. The electrolyzer is an electrical appliance, so the cost of hydrogen production is directly proportional to the cost of electricity and the equipment.
- How much hydrogen does it take to equal a gallon of gasoline?
The term is GGE, or gasoline gallon equivalent. It measures the amount of energy, measured in BTU’s (British Thermal Units). A gallon of gasoline contains about 125,000 BTUs. This is the approximate amount of energy contained in a kilogram of hydrogen.
When electrolyzing water, it takes approximately 43 kWh of electricity to produce 1 kg of hydrogen.
- What really happened to the Hindenburg dirigible?
See our “Hydrogen Safety Misconceptions” page.
- What is a genset?
A genset is a generator set; a coupling of an engine and an electric generator that the engine turns to generate electricity.
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